The 6th Year
by PrincessSparkles CaptainOats
Summary: What happens when Harry dreams of al of his freind's death? Find out! Please R&R, I will love you forever! Plus, I have a new policy. Whoever reviews my story I will read yours and review! Please, I give great reviews! Just REVIEW ME!
1. Carmen

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters. I just love them dearly.  
  
Harry looked out of the window of the Dursley's home. He sighed and then went to lie at his bed. His sixth year at Hogwarts was coming up and he couldn't wait to see his friends again. He had gotten multiple letters from Hermione and Ron, which he read over and over again until he had memorized the words. Finally, a week before school was to start, he got his Hogwarts letter. He read it over and made note of all of the new books that were needed. He pulled Hedwig out of his cage and wrote a letter to Ron, planning a trip to Diagon Alley. Hedwig took off as soon as the parchment was secured onto his leg, leaving Harry alone in his room. The Dursleys had not forgotten Moody's warning, and let him fly Hedwig anytime that he pleased, but since they hated letting Harry have any thing that he would want, they kept him in his room all of the summer, only letting him out to use the restroom.  
Harry's mind started to wonder to Sirius, and it had been all summer. He would bring out the two-way mirror every once in a while, just to see if it had changed. His heart hoped that one day when he called for Sirius, he would answer back. Harry pulled out his Transfiguration homework and started to work on it when he heard an owl outside of his window. He went to greet it, and noticed it was an owl he had never seen before. He pulled the parchment off of the leg and began to read it. As soon as he saw the handwriting, he knew it was Hermione. Dear Harry,  
How are you this summer? I'm fine. Do you like my new owl? She is gorgeous isn't she? Her name is Nanavier. I got her because I was tired of waiting for you and Ron to write me before I could write you. Are you coming to Diagon Alley with Ron and me? I hope you do, I really miss you. Well, I hope I'll see you soon, have a great rest of the summer. Love Always, Hermione  
Harry smiled at the letter and then put it away. He fed Nanavier and then he wrote back to Hermione, telling her that, no he was not having a good summer but would try to come to Diagon Alley. He sent Nanavier away and watched as her light brown wings reflected the moon. Harry watched her fly off until he could no longer see her, then he went back to his homework. When he had finally finished, the sun was coming up. He decided that since he wouldn't be getting out anyway, he would just go to sleep then.  
When he woke he found Ron's owl, Pigwidgeon, standing outside his window. He opened the window and the bird fluttered onto his hand, let Harry get the parchment off his leg, and then flew around the room. Hedwig also flew in the room behind Pigwidgeon and nested in her cage, falling asleep instantly. Harry opened the letter to see Ron's familiar and welcoming handwriting. Dear Harry,  
We were planning to go to Diagon Alley this weekend, so not only could we shop but could celebrate your birthday. Sorry I had Pig come over, but you have to keep her until Ginny cools down. Ginny's new ring was found in one of Pig's pellets and now she is planning to kill him. I hope you can come and Mom sends her love. Fred and George wanted you to know that their shop is going greatly and can't wait for you to see them as rich businessmen, which is really what they have become. They are actually putting Zonko's out of buisness. I can't wait to see you Harry! Ron  
Harry folded the letter and looked at his watch. It was only noon, and he was incredibly bored. He wrote Ron back and then did what he had been doing all summer, reading old school books.  
  
The week crept by and by the time it was the weekend Harry could hardly stand it anymore. He put all of his clothes together, since they were leaving for Hogwarts from Diagon Alley, and packed some money into a bag. When he saw the Weasely's car pull into the driveway he ran to the door and banged on it. He had gone insane staying in that room for so long and he needed to get out.  
Petunia came to his door and let him out, even though she still hated Harry with a passion, she had lightened up on him since the last summer. He ran to the car door and as soon as he saw Ron he gave a huge hug.  
"Alright, let's get those lovers into the car!" shouted George from the backseat.  
Harry rolled his eyes, but got in anyway. The drive down was filled with talk and laughter. They filled the Leaky Cauldron and ordered butterbears by the dozen. After a while they all packed into a room. Hermione was to arrive the next day and Harry couldn't wait.  
He walked to his room and saw a young girl in the hall. She looked lost, because she kept looking at her key and all of the doors. Harry decided to help her, since she looked so pitiful.  
"Can I help you?" he asked when he was next to her.  
The girl was startled, but looked extremely grateful to have someone there to help. "Do you know where I am?"  
Harry laughed, "What do you mean? You're at the Leaky Cauldron if that's what you're asking, but you are also on the third floor of the Leaky Cauldron."  
"That explains it. I'm supposed to be on the fourth floor. Thank you so much. Another thing, do you know where to find the fourth floor?" she asked and looked as if a huge boulder had been taken off her shoulders.  
Harry nodded and walked with her to the fourth floor. He couldn't help but notice that she wasn't from England, but had an American accent instead. Her long brown hair looked as if it had been perfectly put into place that morning. Her dark eyes danced as she looked out of the windows and at the walls of the scary hotel.  
"So, what is your name?" he asked as they took a left turn.  
"I'm, Carmen and you are?" she said trying to remember the steps that they had gone.  
Harry couldn't believe that for the first time in the wizarding world, someone didn't know who he was. "Harry...Weasly."  
Carmen nodded and kept walking. Harry didn't know why he lied, he just liked it when strangers didn't know who he was.  
"Thanks for helping me Harry. Are you in Hogwarts?" Carmen said when they had made it to her door.  
"Yes, are you?" he hadn't seen her before and never remembered hearing about an American at Hogwarts.  
"Yes, but its kind of complicated. I'm a granddaughter of one of the professors, and I've lived in America all of my life, I just had to move here when my parents died," she said, kind of getting quiet. "Well, good night Harry. Maybe I'll see you at school."  
Harry nodded and he went to find his room. When he got to the door he passed out on the bed and didn't wake until he heard the sounds of Mrs. Weasly tapping on his door.  
"Harry, dear, wake up. Hermione is here," she said gently then left to wake Ron in a much more violent manner.  
Harry rubbed his eyes and went to dress himself. He couldn't stop thinking about Carmen. She might be the first person to ever know how it feels to lose a parent. He stumbled downstairs to immediately have his face buried in a mass of brown hair. Hermione had come and wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and he hugged her back.  
"Harry, I missed you so much!" she said as she buried her face into his neck.  
"I missed you too, Hermione," he said sputtering through her hair.  
They had breakfast and then they went to go shop for schoolbooks. After they were finished Fred and George treated everyone to something new, and extra for Harry. Harry got a Snitch to practice with and some free Weasly merchandise, Ron got a broom repairing kit; Hermione got a book on healing, Ginny got the new Wicked Sisters album, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasly got the rest of the day alone to do whatever they pleased, as long as they didn't share what they were going to do with them.  
Harry decided to go and shop by himself for a while. He was starting to go into the store full of Quidditch supplies when he spotted Carmen in the store.  
"Hi!" he said walking up to her.  
Carmen smiled widely, "Hi Harry, how are you?"  
"I'm good, I was needing to tell you something though. I lied to you last night when I told you my name," he found himself blurting out.  
Carmen raised her eyebrows but her she kept smiling, "Then what is your name?"  
"Harry Potter, not Weasly," he said waiting for a response.  
It took Carmen to realize who he was and then she put her hand on her mouth. "Oh then you really know my grandfather, Professor Dumbledore."  
Harry's eyes widened, "I didn't know Dumbledore had a granddaughter."  
"Well, he was married when he was young, and had a son, my dad. My grandmother died right after giving birth though. Grandfather was very depressed and sent my father away to America, where he had good friends. My dad met my mom and then they had me," she said talking in a low voice.  
"I had no idea," he said.  
"Well my dad and grandfather weren't really on speaking terms, so I don't think he would mention it on a normal basis," she said. "Are you going to be here for long?"  
"I'm staying all weekend,"  
"Great, would you be my tour guide?" she said with a laugh.  
Harry nodded and helped her find her way around the crowded alley. After walking for a while, Harry looked at his watch and realized that he had to meet the Weasly's soon.  
"I have to go meet my friends, would you like to come with me?" he said to Carmen as they sat at the ice cream shop.  
Carmen nodded and they went to the Leaky Cauldron. The Weasly's were already waiting for Harry and were surprised to see him with someone else.  
"Harry, who is this?" asked Mrs. Weasly.  
"Everyone, this is Carmen Dumbledore," he said.  
Everyone looked at each other, but made no comment and welcomed her into their group. Everyone had fun and when the bar closed everyone headed to bed. Harry helped Carmen find her way to the fourth floor, since she couldn't remember how he told her the night before.  
"So, thank you for introducing me to your friends. It meant a lot," she said while they walked.  
"No problem. Here's your room," he said.  
"Thank you," she said. She reached for the door and Harry grabbed her arm. He grabbed the bottom of her chin and kissed her on the lips.  
Carmen breathed in quickly and then relaxed, surrendering to him. Harry removed his hand from her face and then placed them on her hips as she placed her hands on top of his. Then Carmen pushed away.  
"I barely know you," she said looking deeply into his emerald eyes.  
Harry nodded, they didn't know each other very well, but he couldn't help himself. He was tempted to move back in to steal another kiss, but Carmen pushed him away again.  
"I'll see you tomorrow. Good night Harry," with that Carmen went to her room, leaving Harry alone in the hall. 


	2. A Dream

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters, except for Carmen. If you want to use Carmen you have to pay me five dollars! Yes, I'm that desperate for money!  
  
Harry floated to his room and collapsed on his bed. He couldn't believe what had happened. He touched his lips where she had been and he could still feel her lingering at his lips. What had been thinking? It had been obvious it wasn't his head that had been thinking. He had trouble sleeping, but when sleep finally found him he dreamed of an awful scene. He was in a classroom and Sirius, Dumbledore, Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Carmen were there. They were all tied in a chair and Dumbledore seemed to be unconscious. Sirius fought to get out of the chair; Hermione and Carmen hung their heads as if exhausted. Ron was silently crying and concentrating hard on Hermione. Neville was acting as Sirius and was trying to bite his ropes. Then a man with a menacing grin walked into the room. Harry's forehead burned with a blinding pain.  
"Well Harry, seems that you have gotten your friends in trouble again. This time, there is no way for you to save them," Voldermort said pulling his wand out. He smiled widely as he pointed the wand out towards Dumbledore. "Avada Kedarva!"  
"Noooo!" shouted Harry waking himself up. He felt his scar and winced. He saw in the mirror across from his bed that he was sweating and crying. He shook his head to try to remove the images of Dumbledore's lifeless body from his head. He tried to get up from the bed but his body was exhausted, as if he had just been in battle. His heart was speeding and he feared that he was having a heart attack. He finally found the energy to sit up and when he did, he realized that his wrists were burned, as if he had been tied up. Harry rubbed his head with his numb hands and went to shower. He tried to wash the dream from his mind, but the image of Dumbledore's dead body haunted his brain. He stepped out of the shower and got dressed then he walked down to the bar for breakfast.  
Harry stepped into the crowded room and heard all of the laughter and song. It seemed happy, but something inside Harry couldn't mix into the mood. He moved to a table where the Weasly's were sitting.  
"Harry, what's wrong?" said Hermione when he sat across from her.  
Harry lipped the words latter and then helped himself to a piece of toast, but couldn't stomach it. He pushed the toast away and ran to Diagon Alley. He didn't even notice that Hermione had followed him until she grabbed his arm.  
"Harry, are you sure you're okay?" she said looking concerned.  
Harry shook his head; he didn't know how he felt. "I don't know. I just had a really bad dream."  
Hermione's eyes widened and she tightened her grip on his arm. "Harry, you told us your Occlumency was under control."  
Harry shook his head. He hadn't thought about Occlumency in so long, he had forgotten the lie that he had told. "Well, it wasn't. I don't even try anymore. I just can't get the images out of my head Hermione it was awful. Everyone was in it, you, Ron, Neville, Sirius, Carmen, and Dumbledore. We were tied up to chairs. Dumbledore was unconscious and Voldermort came in and killed him. Hermione we have to do something."  
"Well, maybe it wasn't a predicting the future kind of dream, but was more like a nightmare. I mean Sirius is dead Harry, how could he be in a room tied to a chair with us?" she said hoping that what she said was true.  
Harry nodded, he hadn't thought of that. He was so use to having Sirius with him; it was hard to believe he was dead. "You're probably right Hermione, thanks."  
She smiled and they went back to the Leaky Cauldron. The first thing Harry saw was Carmen, waiting for him at the door. He smiled and walked over to greet her. He had forgotten the kiss they had shared the night before, but now the memory flooded back to him.  
"Harry, I need to tell you something in private," she said with a smile on her face grabbing his hand.  
Harry smiled and she led him out of the bar and onto the busy streets of London.  
"Harry, why did you kiss me last night?" she said trying to choose her words.  
Harry hadn't thought of it, so he said the first thing that came to his mind. "There's just something about you, it makes me feel different. I want to get to know you, and maybe after we became friends, we could get to know each other even better."  
Carmen smiled sentimentally to herself. "I would like that."  
Harry smiled and felt tempted to kiss her again, but knew that it would have made their recent conversation a complete waste of time, plus he wanted to respect her. "So, tell me about yourself."  
Carmen told him about her favorite books and movies and what she did in her spare time. She also told him about what she wanted to be when she graduated from school. "I was also a keeper on my Quidditch team at my other school. Do you think there are any openings on your team?"  
"I'm not sure, it would depend on what house you are placed in. How will you find that out?"  
"On the first day, I will go privately and be sorted, so not to make a big scene. What house are you in?" she asked.  
"Gryffindor, my parents were in it as well as my friends and my godfather," he said, then he sadly thought of Sirius.  
They walked for a while until they were too tired to take another step. They slowly stumbled into the Leaky Cauldron to find Mr. and Mrs. Weasly waiting for Harry.  
"Harry, we need to talk to you," said Mr. Weasly in a low voice.  
Harry walked over to the table and they sat across from him. Carmen had left to go to her room, but not before looking back shyly at Harry.  
"Harry, Hermione told us about your dream last night. You should have told us," Mr. Weasly said.  
"It was just a dream. No big deal," he said, but he knew it was a big deal.  
"Harry, you probably know better than I do that it is a big deal. We must tell Dumbledore," said Mrs. Weasly looking worried.  
Mr. Weasly nodded; it seemed the only thing they could do. "Harry, do you think you could stay out of trouble for a while until we figure this out?"  
"Not to be disrespectful, but I think that's a little impossible. I don't go out looking for trouble, trouble finds me," Harry said.  
Mr. and Mrs. Weasly looked at each other and just shrugged. Then Mr. Weasly spoke. "Try your hardest, okay?"  
Harry nodded. He would try, but he couldn't make any promises. He stumbled up to his room and then pulled himself under his bed. Everyone would be leaving for Hogwarts tomorrow, and he couldn't wait to be back home.  
  
Hermione sat at the bar looking through her new schoolbooks and sipping her butterbeer. Ron came and sat next to her and she tried to ignore him, but he kept talking to her she couldn't concentrate. After she had read the same line fifteen times, she rolled her eyes and slammed her book.  
"You didn't have to stop reading," he said.  
"Yeah, I kinda did," she said in an annoyed voice.  
Ron went on talking and Hermione listened and laughed. Hermione had always felt bad for Ron, because everything seemed to happen to him. Plus, his family hadn't been too well off, until Fred and George started to bring in money. But Ron always seemed to bear the brunt of all of the Weasly jokes, but he stuck in there, even if she had to hold him back from punching Malfoy's face in.  
Ron helped Hermione to her room and then he went off to his. Ron sunk into his comfortable bed and dreamed of the Hogwarts Express and Hogwarts itself.  
  
The next morning everyone rushed to get a taxi to take them to the train station. Harry tried to find Carmen, but was unsuccessful and left without saying goodbye. When they arrived at Platform 9¾ everyone shuffled onto the gleaming train, found a car, and took a seat. The trio and Ginny waved goodbye to the Weasly's and took their seats.  
Harry kept looking for Carmen, but never saw her.  
"So, who do you think the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher will be?" said Ron breaking the silence.  
"I hope it's not another person from the ministry. You know how spoiled we are from having such a great one last year," said Ginny looking through her book.  
"I heard it was going to be someone the ministry had never even heard of, because of Umbridge," said Hermione.  
"Where did you hear that?" asked Harry.  
"The Daily Prophet, it's a really great source you know. Even if it is full of crap sometimes," she said going through her bag to pull out the article.  
Harry read it and then made a note to himself to subscribe.  
"They haven't mentioned you since Fudge made the announcement, if that's what you were looking for. They don't even say hairy, it's the fluffy beasts," she said with a laugh.  
Harry chuckled a little and then put the newspaper away. They heard a knock on the door and Ginny stood to open it. It was Neville. Neville took a seat next to Ginny, who got suddenly quiet and wouldn't make eye contact with Neville.  
When the train finally stopped, everyone was ready to stretch their legs. Harry climbed out of the car and made his way to the carriages that were no longer pulled by invisible horses, but by Thestrals.  
"Harry, are these Thestrals?" asked Ron when they approached.  
Harry was surprised to see that Ron, and apparently Hermione because she was also looking at the horse the same way Ron was, could see the Thestrals. Then he remembered that they too had seen Sirius die. "Yeah."  
They all piled into the carriage and waited for it to start moving. Harry was getting hungry and couldn't wait for the big feast that was coming. The carriages slowly made their way up to the castle, creaking with every turn of the wheel. Harry watched the rain fall down onto the windows and wished that the carriages would go faster. When the carriages finally stopped in front of the castle doors, everyone piled out and began to walk into the castle.  
"Mr. Potter, can I speak to you?" rang the voice of Professor McGonagall.  
Harry followed her and tried to ignore the comments made by Malfoy. McGonagall walked him in the direction of Dumbledore's office and was very quiet on the way there. She had to admit, she was very nervous about Harry's dream. This could bring not only the downfall of the school, but the whole wizarding world. She was very quiet while they walked on, because she was too nervous to think of any kind of conversation. When they got to the stone gargoyle McGonagall hesitated before saying the password then, "Pumpkin Pasties."  
The gargoyle didn't budge. McGonagall looked at it for a while then finally spoke again, "Chocolate Frogs."  
The gargoyle spun upwards and McGonagall and Harry stepped up onto the stairs. Harry was getting worried about McGonagall's behavior. He had never remembered a time when she had forgotten something.  
"I'm sorry Harry, I've been a little forgetful since last year. I think it was the stunning charms," she said.  
Harry nodded, but didn't know what to say back to her. When they walked into the office Dumbledore looked worn, his once happy dancing eyes were now looked sad and dazed. It took Harry a while to notice that Carmen was also in the office with them. She looked as though she were worried as well.  
"You may leave Minerva, and please take Carmen to the Gryffindor table," Dumbledore said.  
Even though McGonagall wanted to stay, she knew not to say anything. She went to get the Sorting Hat and its stool, and Carmen followed her out of the room. When they were gone Dumbledore looked sadly at Harry, but tried to put on a smile so not to worry him. Harry had noticed that the objects Harry had smashed the last time he was there were now perfectly repaired and in a decorative position on the table.  
"Harry, Arthur and Molly told me about your dream, and I think it's time that you started to learn Occlumency again, and stay out of trouble. I know that for you it is harder to say than do, but you must try hard. Please promise me you will try," said Dumbledore.  
"Of course, sir. I just have one question," Harry said.  
"What is it Harry?" Dumbledore asked as he looked at his watch, he was running late for the ceremony.  
"Why didn't you mention your son?"  
Dumbledore sighed, "I will have to tell you later. That is a story that needs time that we don't have right now, so let's go down to the feast."  
Harry nodded and they walked to the feast together. 


	3. School Begins

Disclaimer: Hello, my name is BETHANY, not J.K. Rowling!!!!!  
  
Harry sat next to Hermione at the long Gryffindor table. Ron was sitting across from them as well as Carmen and Ginny, Neville was on the other side of Hermione. Carmen wouldn't make eye contact with Harry, but found her empty plate very interesting.  
"Harry, I'm sorry I told. I just think they would have wanted to know, because of your past with dreams coming true," said Hermione after a long uncomfortable silence.  
"So, I guess everyone knows, huh?" he said.  
"Knows what?" asked Neville leaning into the table so he could see Harry.  
Harry just rolled his eyes and shook his head. Even though Neville was a good friend, he didn't want to tell him that he might die soon. Even though that wasn't in his dream, he knew it would happen. Voldemort never took prisoners.  
McGonagall stepped out in front off everyone carrying the tattered hat and placed it on its stool. The scared first years stumbled into the room, soaking wet from the rain. Hagrid took his place at the table and waited for the Sorting to begin. The Hat broke out into song, singing of the past wizards that had started the school and a description of each house. Then McGonagall picked up her lists of students and read them off. Each student was placed into a house, some quicker than others, and when the ceremony was finished Gryffindor had twenty new members. Dumbledore sat up and walked to his podium. He looked more refreshed and relaxed than he had when Harry had spoken to him earlier.  
"Welcome, all new students, and to all of you old ones, when will you leave already?" he said with a wide smile. When the light chuckle died down he went on with his speech. "The rules this year are the same, no one is permitted in The Forbidden Forest, Filch is requesting that jinxes will not be used in the halls, and a new rule is that a small swamp that was created last year will please not be touched, thank you. Now let me begin by introducing you to your new Potions teacher, Professor Boyd," a tiny man stood up and waked his hand then quickly sat back down. "Now your new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is not so much of a stranger, but he is the old Potions teacher, Professor Snape."  
Harry's mouth dropped as Snape stood and then sat. He had finally gotten the job he wanted. That meant that he would be fighting against Snape, and Snape against Harry. He knew that this could only end badly. The whole Slytherin table stood in applause for Snape and the entire Gryffindor table made a large groan. Snape made an ugly smile to his house in appreciation.  
"Yes, it is wonderful, now sit down," continued Dumbledore. "Everyone, tuck in!"  
Then when they looked down at their plates a huge feast had appeared. Harry found himself eating his body weight in bangers and. mash and pumpkin pasties. When Harry had finished he felt as if he was about to bust. He looked around and noticed that everyone else looked as if they were finished also, except for Ron who was still stuffing his face with chicken, even though he had slowed down from the beginning of the meal. Soon he pushed his plate aside and started a conversation about Quidditch and how England was robbed from the Cup this year.  
Soon Dumbledore had cleared the plates and everyone went to their common room. Hermione and Ron went to show the Gryffindor first years to the room and Harry ended up walking with Neville, Ginny, and Carmen.  
"Harry, can I speak to you?" asked Carmen while they walked up at flight of stairs.  
"Sure," Harry had been wanting to say something to her, but wasn't too sure how she was feeling about everything.  
Carmen didn't speak for a while; she was trying to pick her words carefully. "Harry, are you okay?"  
"I've been better, but I'm doing fine, why?" he asked.  
"No reason, just trying to stall for time," she said with a smile. Then when she finally looked up at him she had tears brimmed in her eyes. "Harry, I'm scared. I think everyone is. Grandfather told he me that he was worried about the future of everyone, muggles and wizards. Voldemort won't care who you are, even if you're a faithful follower, he will kill you. He will kill us all."  
"I'm scared too, but we have to stick together. We can't show our fear, just remember that you have people you can turn to. I'm always here for you, don't forget that," Harry said looking deeply into her eyes. He had no idea where this speech was coming from, but it was good.  
Carmen smiled at him as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Thank you."  
Harry just smiled and helped her find the Gryffindor common room. They told the Fat Lady the password, found a seat in the comfortable common room, and started a conversation about Quidditch. Carmen was as sucked into the game as Harry was, if that was possible. They were both big fans of the London team, but Carmen also enjoyed the Bulgarian team. She told Harry that Victor Krumm was her crush for two weeks when she went to the World Cup two years before.  
"You were at the World Cup?" he asked with wide eyes.  
"Yeah, that was an amazingly short game, was it not?" she said remembering how Victor caught the Snitch and still lost. "He should have at least just followed the Snitch until their team was a little more ahead, but I guess I would have wanted to quit too if my nose were bleeding like his."  
Harry remembered the event and how he was so excited about getting away from the Weasly's. They kept talking on the couch and Hermione and Ron joined them. Hermione and Carmen broke off into their own conversation and Harry and Ron finished the original one. After a while of talking they looked up and noticed only a few people were still sitting in the common room. Everyone was tired so they all headed off to bed. Harry and Ron went to their old dormitory, and Harry saw that both Hedwig and Pigwidgeon were waiting for them. Harry went to stroke Hedwig's feathers and Hedwig cooed lightly. Harry felt comforted just to be in her presence, and when he went to bed, sleep came easily.  
Harry stared at Dumbledore's lifeless body. He felt the tears fall, the screams of everyone in the room caused Voldemort's smile to widen. He laughed loudly as he walked over and lifted Dumbledore's head to look at him.  
"Who's scared now?" he said then dropping it.  
Harry shivered when his body just seemed to be limp. "You bastard!"  
Voldemort's eyes lifted, "Now Harry, are you sure that's the way you're supposed to speak to your new leader. Just for that I think you will be killed last, so you watch as each of your friends are killed. Who will be next?"  
Voldemort looked into Harry's eyes, "Don't kill her? I think I will!"  
Voldemort turned to Carmen and pointed his wand in her direction and then those awful words formed in his lips, "Avada Kedarva!"  
Harry sat straight up, breathing hard. His heart was moving at a rapid pace as he had the last time he had the dream. He looked over to see that Ron was standing next to his bed looking worried.  
"Harry, are you alright?" Ron asked when Harry looked at him.  
"I don't think so, I need to speak to Dumbledore," Harry stood up and he felt that it had taken all the energy for him to stand. "Will you help me Ron?"  
Ron nodded and he helped Harry walk to Dumbledore's office. While they walked through the deserted common room they were surprised to be met by Dumbledore. He stood there looking worried and tired when he saw Harry. He rushed over to him to help Ron place him on the couch.  
"What's wrong with Harry?" asked Ron. Harry had gone pale and was breathing very shallow.  
"Voldemort is showing him images in his dreams, true images," he said through worried eyes.  
Harry wanted to tell them that he was sitting right there and that he could hear that they were talking about him. He wanted to, but he couldn't. When he tried the only thing he could make was a small moan that sounded like this: "Grblemorphniss."  
"Harry, don't talk. Just sit here and wait for your energy to return, and when it does go get breakfast. Don't tell anyone about your dream, and that means Hermione. I know how that is hard for you two to keep something from her, but for the safety of everyone you need to keep this a secret and let me handle this. Harry, next Tuesday I want you to meet me in my office after your classes. We will start your Occlumency," said Dumbledore as he got up and started to leave.  
Harry nodded, his energy slowly rolled back to him as his color also came back. Ron, as a faithful friend, waited with Harry until he had enough energy to eat breakfast. Harry stared at the meal that Ron had made him for a while. He really didn't feel like eating, he felt like running, like running away from this school, away from everything that he put to harm.  
Soon Hermione and Carmen walked into the hall looking refreshed and happy, oblivious to the fact that Harry had seen Carmen die. He tried to straighten himself up, to not look so miserable. The girls sat across from Ron and Harry and started to talk about how excited they were about getting their O.W.L. notes. Finally after a long wait McGonagall passed out the schedules and the notes. Harry looked at his, he had completely forgotten about them. He was very curious, but he didn't want to be disappointed. He knew he needed high marks in Transfiguration, Potions, and Defence Against the Dark Arts to become an Auror, but what if he didn't. Could he handle that pressure of failing after all of the dreams he had been having and all of the studying he had gone through? Harry slowly turned his O.W.L. notes over. He heard Hermione make squeaks of joy for making O's on every subject, but would he do anywhere near as well? He opened the envelope to read the notes and found his mouth dropping. History of Magic: D Charms: A Defence Against the Dark Arts: O Divination: A Herbology: A Transfiguration: E Astrology: A Care of Magical Creatures: A Potions: E  
Harry's mouth dropped, an E in Potions. He read it four times to see if it was correct, and when he realized it had to be. He couldn't stop laughing.  
"Harry, are you okay?" asked Ron looking away from his notes.  
Harry shoved the paper in the middle and everyone leaned in to read it.  
"Harry, that's great! The only one that you did bad on was the one that is completely explainable," Hermione said smiling widely at Harry. "What are your classes?"  
Harry looked at his schedule. "Today I have Potions, double Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Transfiguration," he said smiling at his sheet.  
"Oh, me too," said Carmen looking at her schedule. Her O.W.L. notes had been sent to her from America. "Is there any teachers I should be worried about?"  
The trio looked at each other and at the same time said, "Snape."  
Carmen groaned and sunk into her seat.  
  
Please do not hate me for killing people! Who knows, I might not make it happen, or will I? Read more and find out! 


	4. Classes!

Disclaimer: I own all of the Harry Potter things; I am also a pathological liar!  
  
A/N: I any one has a heart and wants to tell me what his Auror requirements were it would be highly appreciated. I looked all through the 5th book and I couldn't find it anywhere. Thank you!  
  
Harry walked back to his dormitory to get his books. When he walked in he noticed that Neville was sitting dreamy eyed on his bed.  
"Neville, are you okay?" Harry asked as he grabbed his bag.  
Neville jumped as though just noticing him, and then turned red in the cheeks. "Oh, I'm fine."  
Harry just shook his head and kept looking for his books.  
"Harry, how do you get a girl to notice you?" Neville asked, as his cheeks got steadily redder.  
Harry stopped and thought about it. Why would he ask me? He thought. I probably have more trouble than he does. "Um...I have no idea."  
Neville sighed and went back to his dreamy stare to the sky. Harry was afraid to ask what girl he was seeking the attention of, but was curious nonetheless. He looked at his watch and saw that if he didn't hurry, he would be late for Potions. He told Neville that they had to leave and Neville hopped up and grabbed his bag. Harry ran down the stairs to the dungeon where his Potions class was normally held. When he got there he saw Carmen, Hermione, Ron, and Dean. They started to talk about the new teacher, Professor Boyd; Harry hoped he wasn't as evil as Snape had been. Finally the scrawny man opened the door and everyone filed into the room. Harry felt the man's eyes on him as he walked into the room. Professor Boyd stood there a while until everyone was seated then he walked to the front of the classroom. Harry looked around at the once gloomy room. It was now dancing with light, even though it was underground, Harry couldn't believe it was the same room. He could tell by the looks on everyone's faces that they were memorized with how different everything looked.  
"Attention class!" he said with a smile on his face. He took a deep sigh as everyone turned to face him. "Today we will be making the Deep Sleeping Potion, a potion that will make you appear to be dead. It is the best tactic when hiding from enemies or from creepy stalker girlfriends."  
Some people chuckled at the joke and others just smiled. Harry found the new teacher much better than Snape, who would rather see you fearing your life than actually enjoying yourself. Boyd tapped his wand on the board and the ingredients appeared. Harry went to get the ingredients for Ron and him from the cabinet. When he reached the cabinet full of normally scary ingredients mixed in with ones that were needed, he noticed the scary things were gone. Harry grabbed all of the things that were needed and went to sit with Ron. They mixed the potion perfectly, they hoped.  
"Okay, now that everyone should be done, we will test it. Choose a partner to do the testing and go for it," said Boyd.  
Harry and Ron looked at each other as if they were about to choose which one would die.  
"I'm not doing it," said Ron looking at their goo. "That smells like...road kill."  
Harry agreed, it definitely didn't smell like many other people's, but Harry decided since Ron had been so good to him that morning, he would return favor. Harry scooped up some of the foul-smelling potion and put it into a glass. He lifted it to his lips and cringed, closed his eyes, and drank it. Harry was surprised by the taste. It tasted like fresh spring water running smoothly down his throat. Harry was tempted to take another sip, and would have but when he blinked and opened his eyes he was lying in a cot in the corner of the Potions room.  
"Ah! They have awakened! Class, come look at how they think it was only seconds ago when they drank the potion, when really it was yesterday," said Boyd smiling. Harry looked confused. When he looked around him he saw that no one was wearing the same thing they were, except for the few in the corner with him. He saw Carmen looking just as confused as he was. "I told your teachers that you would make up your work when you saw them today. Sorry I couldn't tell you, but if there isn't any anxiety in your body when you take the potion, it will not work. Yesterday was the perfect day, because you were all worried about your new classes and me. If I had told you that you wouldn't be going to the class, you would have been very relaxed."  
Harry tried to take in all of the information at once, but was having trouble. "H-h-how d-d-did y-y-you kn-n-n-know that th-th-th-the p-p-p-p-p- potion w-w-w-w-would w-w-w-work f-f-for all of us?"  
Harry had no idea why he was having such trouble speaking.  
"Well, it is a very good and easy potion, but only to be used in desperate situations or while learning. You see if you had gotten one thing wrong it would be just a nasty substance being put into your body, which happened to a few people. Since you did it correctly, it worked, now come to you seats, it is time to learn a new potion. Your classmates might be having trouble walking, so if you would go to your partner and help them to their seats it would be very much appreciated."  
Ron rushed over to Harry and helped him to his seat. Ron told him that when Boyd told them that the sleeping people wouldn't have to go to class it made him wish he hadn't been such a coward and just drank the road kill. Harry tried to laugh but was having trouble using any part of his body. He looked at all of the people in the class that had been asleep and it seemed they had the same problem.  
"Professor, why can't they work right?" asked Ron after looking over Harry, who was looking like he had to concentrate on how to blink.  
Boyd turned to Ron and looked at Harry then laughed wildly. "I forgot to tell you. Since your brains were pretty much shut down, only thing that was working was what was telling you to breathe and that was a shallow breath, it is going to take a while for all of your senses to come back. Don't worry though they will come back."  
Boyd turned back to the board and tapped it with his wand. A full list of ingredients showed up on the board with this title: Relaxation Potion.  
"Now, this might not seem as scary as the other one, but if it can be used against you if they know that you will take the Deep Sleeping Potion. It will also make you more vulnerable to any kind of jinx, from funny to bad. We will make some example out of a few people as soon as we are done making the potion. Let's begin," said Boyd.  
Ron got up to get the ingredients this time and left Harry to himself. Harry had finally been able to blink freely and was proud of himself that he could turn his head from side to side to see the room. He looked over to Hermione and Carmen's table to see that Carmen was also just being able to turn her head. He wanted to laugh at how everything so simple was such an accomplishment, but he couldn't. Ron finally came to sit next to Harry and they started to mix the ingredients, well Ron did most of the work, Harry just stuttered through the ingredients list. After everyone was finished the opposite partner had to try, Ron braced himself and hoped he got it right. When he slowly sipped the drink Harry saw the pressure in his shoulder relax and his eyes glaze over.  
"Harry! What do you think about this new teacher?" Ron asked in a loud voice.  
Harry would have been embarrassed, but it seemed at that point everyone was shouting so Boyd wouldn't be able to hear him.  
"Lot better then Snape, huh? Hey, guess whom I like!" he shouted as he started to laugh. "Hermione Granger! That girl right there! I think she is very cute! Do you know how long I've liked her? Six years! She just really scares me sometimes! Hermione!"  
Harry started to laugh as his senses flooded back to him.  
Hermione, who had also taken the potion, seemed to be shouting and just as relaxed as Ron. "Yes?"  
"I like you!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. Harry felt he had to protect his friend from regretting what he was saying, so he grabbed his mouth to cover it.  
"That's nice, Ron!" she said with a big smile, then turned back to Carmen to tell her about the time she wished she was a fairy princess during her third year.  
"Class!" shouted Boyd. Everyone turned to Boyd, but all of the relaxed once shouted his or her darkest secrets to him. "Silencio!"  
Then all of the shouting students mouths kept moving, but no noise came from them, and they seemed to not care.  
"See how vulnerable they are to take the jinx. They will have this jinx for a longer period of time than they would if they were fully conscious of what they were saying and doing. Now, help your classmates to their next class, your homework will be to think of one person you would use the charms that we have learned on. You are excused."  
Harry helped his mute friend to their Defence Against the Dark Arts class. He kept talking and he wouldn't stop and Harry started to wonder when this potion would wear off. Just as he had thought it Ron started to look concerned with the fact that he wasn't making any noise. Harry did the counter curse and Ron was talking again.  
"Harry, what did I do?" he said when he thought about what he had said and done.  
"You confessed your love for Hermione and that you've liked her for six years," Harry said waiting for his friend's reaction.  
Ron's face turned to the color of his hair. "Oh my God! Why did I do that?" he said turning, if possible, even redder.  
"You were really relaxed," said Harry, who was trying not to laugh. Then Snape opened the door quickly.  
"Come in," he snarled. When they stepped in the room it was very different than it had been in the past years. It was dark and creepy, as it had been in the dungeon before Boyd got a hold of it. Everyone took a seat, Harry sat between Carmen and Ron, as Snape stepped to the front of the class and everyone became quiet. Carmen looked fearfully at Snape; he seemed to be giving evil snarls to everyone, except for a few that were in the front.  
Harry recognized Malfoy immediately. His slick blonde hair was the only bright thing in the room. He turned around and gave Harry a look of pure hatred, remembering the incident on the train the year before. Harry laughed when he thought about how his mother must have reacted when he saw that her son was a slug.  
"Mr. Potter, what do you think is so funny?" said Snape when he saw Harry's laughter.  
Harry's laughs stopped immediately. "Nothing, sir."  
"Hmm," Snape said then he went too start the lesson.  
Harry looked confused, Snape had a clear way to make Harry embarrassed, and he didn't do it. Harry looked at Ron, but he just shrugged.  
  
After Defence was over it was time for lunch. As soon as Harry, Ron, and Carmen, were out of the classroom with the huge pile of homework to make up for so little homework in Potions, they started to talk about how Snape had not made one rude and embarrassing comment to Harry or Ron.  
"Maybe he isn't really Snape," said Ron.  
"I don't think so, Dumbledore has really raised the bar on qualifications for each teacher. I heard that he makes each teacher take a personal test to see if they are the same person. He wouldn't be here if he wasn't the real Snape," said Hermione as she caught up with them. She had been in her Arithmancy class, since she no longer needed to take Defence.  
"Maybe he's not as bitter as he used to be, because he has the job he wanted. Maybe that's why he was so grim," said Harry.  
"That might be it," said Hermione as they sat at their table. Hermione didn't eat, but began her homework and occasionally ate a chip.  
Harry was starving as was Carmen, but that can happen if you don't eat for an entire day. Ron started to do his homework as well, since Hermione was and Carmen and Harry were too bust stuffing their faces to speak.  
"One person I would like to use those potions on, this is a hard one. I would probably like to use the relaxing one on Malfoy and the sleeping one on my mom," said Ron as he finished his Potions homework.  
"Why your mom?" Hermione asked as she looked up from her Defence homework.  
"She's been complaining that she hasn't gotten a full nights sleep since Bill was born," he said.  
Hermione chuckled to herself then got back to work. Ron also found himself sunk deep into his work. Carmen and Harry looked at each other and laughed. Harry had sauce dripping down his face and Carmen had a little bit of sauce in her hair. Harry leaned over with a napkin and wiped it off for her. Ron looked at them from the corner of his eye and scoffed. It was so clear that Harry liked Carmen. Why didn't he make a move? Then he thought about his feelings for Hermione and decided to back off.  
"Here leet me help you," Carmen said taking the napkin from his hand and wiped his face.  
They slowed down on their eating and started to talk about classes and school.  
"Look what the cat dragged in," a voice came from behind Carmen.  
"Go away Malfoy," Harry said in an annoyed voice.  
"Oh, I'm really scared! Hey, Potter, is this your girlfriend? She looks like a Weasly, you know with food in her hair. Is she a cousin of your's?" Malfoy said looking over to Ron.  
Ron's ears went red as he squeezed his quill. "Shut it, Malfoy!"  
Malfoy laughed with Crabbe and Goyle. "Or What?"  
"I'm sorry, do you have a social problem?" said Carmen standing up to face him.  
"Excuse me?" said Malfoy looking her up and down. "Are you speaking to me, trash?"  
Carmen turned back around to see Harry and Ron. "Is he always such an asshole?"  
Harry and Ron laughed as they nodded.  
"Do you even know to whom you're speaking to?" he said getting a tinge of red in his ears.  
"No, because you don't have enough manners to introduce yourself!" she said throwing her hands in the air then back to her hips.  
The back of Malfoy's neck turned red as the whole Hall watched them. "I'm Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy."  
"Yeah, I'm sure I'm honored," Carmen said with a roll of her eyes. "You don't mind if I don't bow, do you. I normally only do that for...people I give a damn about."  
Malfoy walked off and his friends followed. Carmen went back to her seat and rolled her eyes. "I hate guys like that."  
Harry looked at her with a smile. "Okay, I think the best part of that argument was that Malfoy didn't get a chance to stick a 'your momma' joke in there."  
Carmen just raised her eyebrow. "Is that guy around a lot?"  
"All the time," said Hermione, who was smiling widely at Carmen. She had wanted to say those exact words to Malfoy since school started.  
"Great, now I can have the pleasure of him everywhere!" she said with a fake smile.  
Harry laughed and they went back to eating and doing homework.  
  
There, another chapter. I just missed Malfoy and decided to stick him in there. I was going through Malfoy Bashing Withdrawal. Yes, they were probably lame comebacks, but I am no good at comebacks. I am the one that gets called names and I go, "Well, yeah, I guess I am a dirt bag." 


	5. Quiddich

Disclaimer: Are you talkin' to me? Hey, are you talkin' to me? No one else is here! So I guess you're talkin' to me! Then you're not talkin' to J.K. Rowling!!!!  
  
Harry sat in his Transfiguration class silently. He had been in school for a week and he was already counting the days until he could go to the Weasly's for Christmas. McGonagall gave them a load of homework and then she dismissed the class. Harry and Carmen walked together to find Ron and Hermione.  
"I am so tired, I didn't get any sleep last night. Can I lay my head on your shoulder?" asked Carmen when they sat down in the Great Hall.  
Harry nodded and Carmen closed her eyes and cuddled up to his shoulder. They had been having this flirtation going on since school had started, but it hadn't gone father than that. Hermione came in and sat across from them. She just rolled her eyes and wrote some thing down on a piece of paper sliding it across the table to him.  
Harry picked it up. He laughed at it and just shook his head. It read: When are you two going to get over this flirting thing and start dating? Harry just took his quill scribbled his answer: No comment.  
Hermione just scowled and went to do her homework. Ron sat next to Hermione when he finally came back from his previous class. Ron had not mentioned the Relaxation Potion since it had happened, but he still avoided Hermione's eye. "Harry, Angelina wanted to tell you that Quidditch tryouts are happening this Friday. She is making me be a Chaser this year, since Alicia graduated last year. That's what I would rather be anyway. So there's a Keeper's position and two Beater positions open, Angelina said she didn't want any of the people that came after you guys were banned last year, they're going to have to tryout again if they want to be on it. She also said that if you plan to get detention, don't."  
Harry smiled; he couldn't wait to get back on the Quidditch pitch. He had been aching to use his Firebolt since he had gotten it back from Umbridge. Carmen had opened her eyes and was listening to Ron. Harry could tell she was planning to go and practice.  
"I'll help you practice for tryouts, if you want Carmen," offered Harry.  
"Oh, would you? That would be great. Are you doing anything tonight?" she said lifting her head from his shoulder.  
"No, so after dinner, we'll go practice?" he said looking at his watch. That wouldn't be too far from then.  
"Sounds great, I'll get my broom and try to take a nap. Hermione, will you wake me when you get back?" she said picking her books up.  
Hermione nodded and Carmen took off for her dormitory, and as soon as she was out of the hall Hermione and Ron leaned into talk to Harry.  
"Harry, when are you going to make a move for Carmen? You guys are always flirting and it's clear that you guys both like each other," said Hermione.  
Harry just laughed and started to eat. "It's none of your business, but I will tell you that when I do make a move you will know. Carmen won't be sitting here anymore because she'll be freaked out."  
"Come on Harry. She's crazy about you! She probably won't be napping, she'll probably be up there primping or something," said Hermione leaning back.  
"Wait, you guys aren't dating?" asked Ron looking confused. "Then what was that whole thing with her sleeping on your shoulder?"  
Harry couldn't help but laugh. "We're not dating, we're just friends. She was tired, she just needed to nap a little."  
"Oh, really?" said Ron raising his eyebrow. "You know Harry, I'm tired. Can I lay my head on your shoulder?"  
Harry rolled his eyes and left them at the table. Harry decided to go to the library and found a book to help him with his Transfiguration homework. He sat there for a while and then looked at his watch. Time had passed quickly and dinner was almost over. He picked up his books and went to his dormitory to get his Firebolt. He changed out of his robes and got into a pair of worn jeans and an old t-shirt. He ran down to the Quidditch pitch he looked around for Carmen. Since she wasn't there yet, he went into the Gryffindor changing room and pulled out a Quaffle. When he came back outside he saw a pink and blue blur flying in the air. Harry was worried someone else had taken over the pitch, but when the blur landed it turned out to be Carmen.  
"That was some amazing flying. What kind of broom is that?" Harry said as he approached.  
"Oh, thanks. It's a Nimbus 2003. I got it this summer from Grandfather. Are you ready to through balls at me Potter?" asked Carmen lifting her broom and showing it to Harry.  
Harry smiled and mounted his Firebolt. He felt the urge to kick off for the first time in forever surging through his leg. Carmen smiled at him and copied his movement. They both kicked off and Harry soared through the air. He felt free as the air quickly rushed through his hair. Harry had forgotten why he had even been flying for a while. Then he regained composure. He placed a charm on the Quaffle to make it run at Carmen. He was surprised at how good she was, almost better than Wood. She dived for each hoop and saved it from going in every time. Harry tried to change the charm to make it harder, but it didn't work, she never let the Quaffle in. Finally after practicing for three hours they decided to give it a break.  
Carmen came down sweating and breathing hard. Harry showed her were the showers were, even though she wasn't supposed to use them since she wasn't on the team. When she came out she looked completely refreshed and clean. Harry smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Carmen smiled at the gesture and she wrapped her arm around her waist.  
"How do you think I did?" she asked when they got into the school.  
"Not too shabby," Harry joked. "You didn't miss a single hoop, so I think that's pretty good, since that's the point of the game."  
Carmen smiled; she had almost killed herself trying to impress Harry with her moves. She had never worked so hard at a practice before, maybe at a game, but never a practice. They walked up to the Gryffindor Common Room and sat next to Ron and Hermione, who were doing homework quietly. Harry and Carmen pulled out there's also, but Harry couldn't concentrate on his work. He kept thinking about Carmen's hand that was lying comfortably on his leg.  
  
Carmen hunched over her chair lifeless. Harry screamed awful words to Voldemort, who just laughed.  
"Who shall I remove from your life now? Why don't I ask them?" asked Voldemort, who's smile was getting wider with every word to the point where his face just seemed like a huge smile with crazy dark eyes. He turned to Dumbledore. "Should I ask him? No, I don't think so. Why don't I ask him?" Voldermort stood in front of Ron, who shivered at his presence. "What was that? Oh, alright, I'll kill her."  
Voldermort turned to Hermione with a smile, "Just one question mudblood. When were you going to tell him?"  
Hermione's started to tear up. She looked at Ron and the tears fell quicker. "Go to hell, you bastard!"  
"I'll race you. Guess what, I'm even going to give you a head start. Avada Kedarva!"  
Harry opened his eyes quickly. He saw that he was sitting in the common room with Carmen in his arms. He looked around the dark room and saw that Hermione was in the arms of Ron. Harry rubbed his eyes with his numb hands. He looked at the rope burns on his wrists and watched as they slowly faded away. Harry slightly nudged Ron to wake him.  
"I don't want to wear a dress, spiders!" he said when he woke. He looked around he tried to make look as if he hadn't said anything.  
"Ron, I had another dream," Harry said in a low whisper so he wouldn't wake the girls.  
"You said Occlumency with Dumbledore was working!" Ron said with a worried look on his face.  
"It was but I for got to do it last night. I just fell asleep," Harry said. "But this time it's different. I'm not as exhausted as I was."  
"Maybe you're experiencing what your dreams are going through and this time it was a while after all of the other ones," Ron said after he thought about it for a while.  
"Surprisingly, I think you're right," Harry said. "Ron, it was awful. Hermione died this time."  
Ron's face went pale and then he looked at Hermione, who was still asleep. "Harry, we can't let this happen."  
"You don't have to tell me that, I can agree with you," Harry said with a roll of his eyes.  
"Listen, don't yell at me. I'm just scared, okay?" Ron said getting defensive.  
"I'm sorry. Listen, go back to sleep, I'll be fine," Harry said sighing. He really didn't give Harry enough credit sometimes.  
Ron nodded and tried to go back to sleep. In twenty minutes the common room was filled with snores. Harry's shoulder started to hurt from the weight of Carmen on it. He decided she was probably cold and uncomfortable. Harry picked her up and carried her to his dormitory. He placed her quietly on his bed and then Harry went back downstairs to do the same for Hermione.  
  
Then next morning Ron woke on the couch in the common room. He rubbed his eyes and looked around for Harry, but he had left an hour earlier. Ron went to his room to get his books for class and to change. When he reached his dormitory, he was surprised to see that the curtain around his canopy was closed. He went to peek his head in and got an even bigger shock of seeing Hermione. He just shook his head and got dresses, a little uncomfortable at the thought that at any moment Hermione could poke her head out and see him naked. When Ron had finished he ran downstairs to the Great Hall. He was starving and couldn't wait to have some breakfast. Harry was sitting next to Carmen and it looked like they were having a fun conversation so he decided to join them.  
"Morning, Ron!" Carmen said to him with a big smile.  
"Morning," he said sitting across from them.  
"How did you sleep?" she asked then took a bite of pancakes.  
"Great, and you?" he said. Ron still couldn't understand why Harry wasn't dating Carmen. She was so nice and seemed to like him, and it was obvious he liked her. Why did Harry have to make everything so complicated?  
"Wonderfully, best sleep I've gotten since I've been here," she said.  
Harry was quiet and he just smiled at Carmen.  
"Hey, the mail's here," shouted a first year.  
Ron looked up and saw a new bird come fly at him. He held out his foot and Ron took the letter.  
Harry watched Ron as he read and wondered what it could say. Ron placed the letter down and looked at it with wide eyes.  
"What's it say?" asked Harry. Ron pushed the letter to him and Harry began to read. Dear Ron,  
Hey little brother, how are you? I know it's been a while since we talked, but I thought I was the one that needed to tell you the good news. Mom is hysterical and Dad is...well he's Dad. Guess what Ron! I, Bill Weasly, am engaged. I met her at the World Cup, she was rooting for the American team and I was rooting for the English team, of course. We started off in an argument, and then we started to flirt. It turned out that we had a lot in common. We have the same taste in just about everything, clothes, music, and sports. (Except for the fact that she is an America fan and I'm devoted to England. Even though it turned out she is more of an Ireland fan but was supporting America because she is American.) Fred and George were there when we met, and they seem to like her as well. Her name is Roxanne and she is one year younger than I am. She is coming over for Christmas so the whole family will get to know her. I hope your year is going well. With love, Bill.  
Harry put down the letter. "Bill is getting engaged? What happened to Fleur? Wasn't he dating her?"  
"Yeah, but they broke up. He said she was way too hard to understand, emotionally and because her English was really bad," Ron said. "But, I guess if he's happy we should be happy for him. I just can't get over the fact that Bill's getting married."  
Harry couldn't either. It was really weird when he thought about it, but she sounded like she was great. Hermione slowly walked into the hall rubbing her eyes. She had slept very well the night before, and hated to get out of bed.  
"Morning, Hermione!" Ron said with a huge smile.  
Hermione smiled shyly at him and then she pushed her hair behind her ear. She sat next Ron and then helped herself to french toast. Then, as all of the owls left the hall, Hedwig landed next to Harry. She had a note attached to her leg. Harry didn't remember sending anyone a letter recently, but took the letter anyway. When he opened the letter his heart stopped. It was very familiar handwriting, but it couldn't be...could it? He picked up the letter and started to read. Dear Harry,  
I'm not dead...  
  
Want to find out who isn't dead, or what the rest of the letter says? Then review and read the next chapter. I refuse to write another chapter until I get a review! REVIEW!!!! 


	6. He is Back

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or do I? No, I don't. Now read while I wallow in that awful feeling that I don't own Harry. A/N- This chapter has a part with a lot of bad words in it, so you might be cautioned. I am labeling this chapter a rated R chapter.  
  
Harry looked at the letter in amazement. He read it many times before he could actually believe its contents. Dear Harry,  
I'm not dead. Meet me at your next trip to Hogsmeade at the Shrieking Shack. Bring only Hermione and Ron. Sirius  
Harry couldn't believe what he held in his hands, a letter from Sirius telling Harry to meet him. His hands started to shake and he held onto the table tightly to keep people from noticing. Carmen turned to him when she saw his white knuckles on the table.  
"Harry, are you alright?" she asked.  
Harry just nodded his head and loosened his grip. Harry left the table and walked to the common room to find when the next Hogsmeade trip would be. It turned out to be coming soon, that weekend. Harry went to get his books and went to his first class of the day. He sat silently in his Potions class, not really thinking about what was going on. Thankfully Boyd had them on bookwork, so it was easy to let his mind wander. When the class was over, Harry wandered to his Defence class nodding occasionally to the conversation going on between Ron and Carmen, who got a distinct feeling that Harry wasn't listening so they started to talk about purple elephants.  
"Yes, those purple elephants are known to kill," said Carmen looking intently at Harry, who nodded say "Yes, quite right."  
Ron and Carmen looked at each other with worried eyes, but when they asked what was wrong, Harry just nodded. Snape seemed to have kept his good (well if you can call it good) mood throughout the first week and was silent to the fact that Harry wasn't paying attention. Ron and Carmen helped Harry out of the class, since he seemed to forget that class was over. They sat in the hall and just stared at Harry for a while. Hermione came in and watched him too. She had noticed how he had reacted to that letter that morning; he seemed to have seen a ghost. What could the letter have said? They finished their classes for that day and Harry had to go to Occlumency with Dumbledore, even though he didn't feel like it. He felt like riding his broom into the sun and getting lost, getting away from all of the stuff that was going on.  
"Is something troubling you Harry?" asked Dumbledore when he saw him.  
Harry shook his head and got ready for class. Dumbledore emptied thoughts into the Pensieve then got ready for the lesson.  
"Dumbledore, wait!" Harry shouted, as Dumbledore got ready to say his spell.  
"Is there a problem Harry?" Dumbledore said backing off.  
"I got a letter from Sirius today," Harry said.  
Dumbledore sighed and walked over to his desk. "Harry, I knew that Sirius was not dead, and I instructed him not to tell you until I told him it was safe, but it is obvious he didn't heed my warning. Harry, only those who deserve to die actually fall to their peril in the Veil, but you have to understand. Sirius didn't deserve to die there, because he is meant to die somewhere else. I thought that by having you not know about his being alive, you might not think your dreams were real. Harry you must meet him where he asked, but be careful. Don't let anyone follow you, and don't write him back. You may leave. I have important buisness to attend to."  
  
Harry walked slowly back to the Gryffindor Tower, sighing. Harry stepped into the comfortable common room and saw that everyone was gone except for Carmen, who was reading a book by the fire. Harry sat next to her and started his homework.  
"What book are you reading?" he asked.  
"The Once and Future King, by T.H. White. It's about King Arthur and the nights of the round table, mostly Lancelot," she said without looking up.  
Harry nodded and then went back to his homework. Carmen finally looked up from her book and stared at Harry. Harry felt like he was being watched and looked up to confirm his suspicion. "Is there something wrong?"  
"That's what I wanted to ask you. Harry you've been really out of it today, are you sure you're okay?" she said placing her book to the side.  
Harry fought with himself to decide whether he should tell her. He knew that he didn't want to keep secrets from her, but he couldn't put Sirius in trouble. She was Dumbledore's granddaughter, maybe she knew about Sirius being good and that he was Harry's godfather, but he couldn't betray Sirius. "I can't talk about it. I'm sorry; I would love to tell you. I want you to know everything about me and I want to know everything about you, but I can't. I will tell you one day, but I can't right now. Is that okay?"  
Carmen just smiled at him. "Of course it's fine, I just wanted to make sure no one was dying or coming back to life. But you are okay, right?"  
"Yeah," he said smiling at her as she picked her book back up and started to read again. He thought about what Hermione and Ron had been saying. Why hadn't he asked her out yet? "Um...Carmen?"  
Carmen looked up from her book and Harry wished he hadn't said anything. Saying it his head was hard enough, but would he be able to survive saying it out loud? "Uh..."  
Carmen laughed and Harry got a little of his nerve back. "Um..." well I said a little, not a heap. "Well...um...erm...uh Carmen, I was wondering. I would...um...I would like to well, I mean you don't have to, but if you would like to, I was wondering if you could, um...well, maybe we could go out?"  
Carmen laughed even harder, making Harry's confidence fly away for the summer. "I'm not laughing at the question Harry, I promise. I'm laughing at the way you asked. You should have seen your face. Oh my God, it was hilarious," she said trying to not fall off of the couch. She slowly stopped laughing and then she looked at him and smiled. "I'm sorry, Harry. I didn't mean to laugh, I promise. But anyways, back to the question. I would really like that Harry, I've been kind of hopping you would ask me, I was starting to think that after you got to know me you didn't want to be my boyfriend, but just a friend."  
Harry smiled and moved closer to Carmen. He wrapped his arms around her and she laid her head on his shoulder. They lay there for a while until they were both tired. Harry helped Carmen to her dormitory since she was having trouble remembering which door it was.  
"Thanks Harry," she said shyly. He looked deeply into her eyes and pulled her closer to him. She smiled back up at him and moved her lips close very slowly. Harry pressed his lips on hers and felt a surge of energy between them. Carmen weakened in the knees as she pressed her body against his. Harry couldn't keep one thought in his head long enough to think about one thing that made everything about their kiss special. One thought did stick in his brain though, the thought of Carmen's dead body tied to a chair.  
"I need to stop," he said pulling away. That's why the Harry in his dreams didn't want her to die; he was in love with her. He couldn't fall in love with her; it had to be strictly a kissing thing. "I'm sorry, I need to go to bed."  
Carmen looked a little disappointed but smiled anyway. "Sure, I understand. Good night," she leaned up to kiss him goodnight, but he had already walked away. Carmen watched him for a while and then she went to bed. Hermione was waiting for her on her bed as she walked in.  
"So what happened?" asked Hermione.  
"Nothing, go to bed," Carmen said with a smile.  
Hermione rolled her eyes and lay on her back. "I just wanted to see if my best friend and my new friend were happy...and together."  
Carmen ignored her and closed her eyes. She slowly drifted away into sleep, dreaming of being in a field of flowers with Harry.  
  
Harry hated to admit it, but he purposely forgot to remove all of his emotion. He needed to know what happened, if everything would be okay, if it was safe to date Carmen. Harry closed his eyes and waited for his horror to begin again.  
  
Voldemort stood there laughing at Hermione, as if this was a fun sport for him.  
"Really, what loss are we at? She's just a little mudblood. Now, I think we should rid ourselves of all troublemakers," he slowly turned to Neville, who had now stopped biting the rope and now was shouting all of the curses he could think at Voldemort.  
"You fucking bastard! Kiss my ass! You pussy bitch, fight us like a fucking man!" Neville shouted.  
Harry looked at Neville with wide eyes; he had never really him use such language.  
"You heard me you bastard! You dick!" he shouted again looking Voldemort straight in the eyes without a shutter.  
"Language son, I hope you are excepted in heaven with that filthy mouth. Goodbye, prince!" Voldemort said, almost impressed with his rage.  
Before the spell could be said Harry sat right up, breathing in deeply. Neville was over his bed as well as Ron, Dean, and Seamus.  
"Harry, you were cursing pretty strongly," said Neville looking worried.  
"Shut up, virgin ears!" said Dean nudging Neville and laughing, but he was the only one laughing.  
"Leave Harry alone and go back to bed!" shouted Ron. Harry looked up to hi gratefully and Ron smiled back.  
The boys headed back to bed and fell asleep as Harry stared into the air. He finally getting like getting up and he showered and got ready before everyone else had. After he had finished he finished some homework in the common room. After he had finally finished the work, he set the stuff aside and watched the fire that had been lit that morning by none other than Dobby.  
After he sat there a while he felt a hand on his shoulder. When he turned he saw Carmen smiling at him and she hoped over the couch and sat next to him, placing her head on his shoulder. Harry absent-mindedly placed his hand on her leg and she smiled at the gesture. When Harry realized what he was doing he quickly removed his hand and stood up, making Carmen fall to the couch.  
"I'm sorry, I just remembered something I needed to do. Excuse me," Harry said after he thought of the thoughtlessness of his action.  
Carmen nodded and looked around the common room with a sad face. Was this what she wanted in a boyfriend? She wasn't an expert on the subject either, but she knew that the other person wasn't supposed to be pulling away so soon. She didn't want him to pull away at all, but if he had to she wanted it to be later after they'd had their fun, not while they were having it.  
  
Harry went to find Ron and Hermione, who were just walking out of the dormitories. He had forgotten to tell them about meeting Sirius in the Shrieking Shack.  
"You guys I have good news," Harry said in a low whisper.  
"You and Carmen are finally together, I knew it!" said Hermione with a big smile.  
"No, well, yes, but that's not the news. It's bigger than that. Snuffles isn't dead," Harry said, feeling bad that he had thought of his new girlfriend as a number two on the list, even though Sirius was more important.  
Hermione and Ron looked at each other with a sympathetic look. "Harry, Snuffles is dead. He's not coming back," Hermione said touching Harry's arm.  
Harry pulled away in anger. "No, he's really alive. Please, just believe me! I have a letter from him and Dumbledore told me last night."  
"Of course we believe you Harry," said Ron with an unconvincing look. "This just sounds weird. Do you have the letter?"  
Harry pulled the letter from his pocket and handed it to Ron, who took it and read it with Hermione. Hermione's eyes widened and Ron's mouth dropped.  
"Oh my God!" said Hermione putting a hand over her mouth.  
"I told you. You can't say anything to Carmen," Harry said with a smile on his face. He took the letter from Ron and stuffed it back into his pocket.  
"How are we going to leave her alone at Hogsmeade?" asked Ron.  
Harry hadn't thought of that. What kind of boyfriend would he be if he left his girlfriend alone in a town that she had never been to, and where she didn't know anyone? "Don't worry about it, I'll figure something out. But you can't tell her, or anyone else."  
Hermione and Ron nodded and walked with Harry to the common room. Harry looked around for Carmen, but she must have left because she was nowhere to be seen. The trio walked down to the Great Hall and started to eat, Harry hoped to see Carmen, but she wasn't there either. He shouldn't have left her there like that this morning, but he couldn't help it. It really was to keep her safe. But if he wasn't careful, he wouldn't worry about her following him to the Shrieking Shack that weekend.  
  
Carmen sat quietly in an empty classroom looking out a window. She just needed to get away for a while. She needed to think. People had surrounded her ever since she got to England, and she didn't have time to let everything sink in. In the back of her mind she kind of knew that she didn't want everything to sink in. Everything was going so fast, she couldn't put what was real with what was not.  
What was real was that her parents were dead, what wasn't real was that it had been her fault. She had to keep telling herself it wasn't her fault. She had no control over what happened. She replayed the incident in her head as the tears formed in her eyes. She was in her room of their house. Her parents had done something to make her angry, something she couldn't even remember now, and she was sulking there. She could hear her mother begging her to come downstairs to talk, but Carmen just ignored her. Her mother finally gave up and left to run an errand, and when she came back she better be willing to talk. Her father went with her mother since he had an errand also. Carmen sat in her room for an hour and decided it was time to give up and talk to her mother, but when she went downstairs to check on them, they hadn't gotten back yet. She didn't think anything about it and went upstairs to play on the Internet and instant message some friends. After she had finished, three hours had passed and she was starting to get worried, her parents weren't back yet. She went to take a shower and when she was out ringing the phone was ringing. She ran to answer it and was shocked to hear the news. Apparently her parents had run into a person that they knew and he killed them. Carmen hadn't heard about the man they met, Gregory Umbridge, but had heard her parents talking about how he was mad at them for what her grandfather had done to his sister. The police didn't know the cause of death, but Carmen did. They had been given the death curse. She wasn't there, she knew that, but she felt she knew how everything had happened. She had been having dreams. Her parent's car broke down on the rode and they got out to repair it, with only the slightest bit of magic. When their efforts didn't work, a man walked out of the woods with his wand out. Mer parent's pulled out their wands and pointed them at him, but it was too late, Gregory had already killed them. Carmen found herself short of breath and crying. This might not have happened, she had to keep telling herself. It was just a dream, a way for the mind to make an excuse for the death.  
Carmen also had to let the moving away from home sink in too. She had never moved before that day and it was like a completely different world where she was now. She didn't know what she would do when school was over; she had no place to go. She could stay at the Leaky Cauldron again, but that was so creepy. She could stay with her grandfather, but where does he really live? Carmen sighed and looked at her watch. She had to get to her class then. She had found out that all of her classes were with Harry, and she didn't feel like talking to him then, not that she was sore, she really didn't feel like talking to anyone. She picked up her books and slowly walked to her Charms class.  
  
Harry was glad to see Carmen in Charms, but was disappointed when she ignored all of his notes that he would slide to her. She seemed to be concentrating extremely hard on Professor Flitwick, something that seemed impossible since he was lecturing on the importance of keeping your wand safe. When the class was over she left Harry and Ron and ran back to the girl's dormitory.  
"What did you do?" Ron asked as her robe flashed out of the room. He had also noticed Carmen's odd behavior.  
"I haven't really doing my best to become boyfriend of the month," Harry said rubbing his the back of his neck and picking his books from the table. "But she shouldn't be giving me the silent treatment, I have a reason. I just can't tell her."  
"Is this about Sir...Snuffles?" said Ron as they walked out of the classroom to their next class.  
"No, it's about my dream. I don't want her in that room, and if I fall in love with her, I know she'll be there," Harry said. They turned the corner and waited in the line to get in. Harry didn't see Carmen anywhere, sadly, so he asked Ron something that had been bothering him. "Do you think I should end it?"  
"I dunno. You guys are great together, but if that's what worries you, I guess you should," Ron said after thinking about it.  
Harry nodded. "I think I will."  
Just then Harry received a giant shove. He turned to see Carmen and he could tell that she had over heard the worst part of the conversation.  
"You jackass! You go and talk to Ron about it instead of talking to me? Why don't you become a man and find out for yourself whether or not you want to leave me? Let me do you a favor, I'll be the one to 'end things'. Goodbye Harry," Carmen ran off to the classroom she had previously occupied. Harry ran after her shouting her name, but she didn't look back. When she reached the room she put an anti-open curse on the door. She went to the window she was at and looked out of it. She tried to ignore the sounds of Harry calling her from outside the door. Her mind flashed back to her mother, who had called her the same way on the night of her death.  
She thought about what she would do if the same thing that happened to her parents happened to him. She wouldn't be able to live with herself. She wiped her eyes and walked to the door just in time to see Harry walking away to leave. When he heard the door open he spun back around.  
"You have to believe me, I have reasons for wanting this to be over. Like I told you last night, I can't tell you, but I will, as soon as I can. Please, don't be mad at me," Harry said when he saw Carmen.  
"I understand," she said as tears formed in her eyes. "It's not like we were in love or anything. It only lasted a few hours so I don't think it's that big of a deal."  
Harry's heart hurt hearing these things coming from her. It was a big deal to him.  
"We have to get to class," Carmen said, and then took off leaving Harry at the door. 


End file.
